Navigating the NFP Hiring Process

Making great hiring decisions in the Not for Profit sector can be both challenging and critical.

How can you capitalise on creating the right match between your organisation’s needs and the talent pool interested in the position?

The US organisation Bridgestar has compiled an electronic guide specifically to help the sector, whether it’s a brand new to the hiring process or significant time has passed since an organisation last hired someone.

Bridgestar is an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, a US NFP dedicated to developing leadership within the sector for greater effectiveness and social impact.

For many organisations, Bridgstar says, the hiring problems begin with trying to figure out what an organisation wants in a position –the strategy, the fit, the core competencies. Describing it in a way that gives structure to the strategy and serves as an effective marketing tool to potential applicants is the next problem.

Then comes a flood of resumes, finding the diamond in the rough and then asking the interview questions that reveal the strengths needed in your organisation.

Bridgestar says it has compiled the Hiring Guide to help navigate the whole efficiently and effectively.

Here are some of the topics covered in the Hiring Guide:

Defining the position. How to begin the process of hiring for a position? This section of the hiring guide provides questions to help scope the new job in the organisation.
Writing the job description. Learn why a job description is important and how to write a good job description.
Screening resumes. How to prepare for the inundation of resumes? What is the process for effectively screening resumes? Five steps to guide NFP’s through this process.
Interviewing candidates. The Guide provides sample interview questions.
Gathering references. How to conduct reference checks and how to use a third party to check references.
Assimilating new employees. Reviews the do’s and don’ts for assimilating employees into a new role.

The Hiring Guide is clear and concise and translates well to the Australian scene. If you would like an electronic version in PDF format just send an email with Hiring Guide in the subject line to probono@probonoaustralia.com.au.